Big 12 media days gave Baylor fans their first real look at DJ Lagway in green and gold, and the transfer quarterback didn’t waste the opportunity. He spoke openly about the move, the work he’s put in since arriving, and the mindset he believes the Bears are building around him.
Lagway said the transition has already felt right, both physically and mentally. He described himself as being in “the best place I’ve ever been mentally and physically,” and said he’s been focused on the things he’s wanted to improve since freshman year. He also pointed to one of the biggest lessons he’s taken from his career so far: taking care of his body and understanding how important availability is.
“You know, I said I learned a lot about just really how to take care of your body, you know, and how valuable that is, you know, the best ability is availability. You know, you hear that a lot, and when I experienced that, that was really the hardest moment of my career this far, you know, and not being able to be on the field with my guys and then being able to, okay, thrown into the fire, right, week one, not practicing at all the whole offseason and expect to play at a high level, you know, that really messed with me, but I'm just thankful for the experience because I wouldn't be up here today, you know, talking to y'all today if that didn't happen, so I'm thankful. Yeah, it's just, it feels good to be back in a great state of Texas, you know, and being close to family, you know, and building a, you know, relationship with my teammates that I've really never had with the team before, and I'm truly thankful for these guys, and they've pushed me so much physically, emotionally, and spiritually even, you know, and I'm thankful for these guys for sure.”
That connection with his teammates came up again when he talked about leadership. Lagway said the biggest part of that process has been getting to know his teammates away from football and building real relationships.
“Yeah, I'll say really just, you know, connecting outside of football, you know, that's the biggest thing is connecting, and I say just the countless memories that we've built outside of football, and it's just been huge, you know, I'm thankful for my guys, and I really genuinely love this team, and I'm excited to go out there and lay it on the line for them,” Lagway said.
Baylor’s season is carrying real weight after a rough year, and Lagway made it clear the group is leaning into a harder edge. He said the team’s mentality is “kill or be killed,” and framed every snap as a direct battle.
“For sure, you know, as a team, our mentality is kill or be killed, you know, when you step on that field, step on that grass, you know, you gotta, it's you versus the person across from you,” Lagway said.
“That's kind of been the mentality as a team that we've built, you know, and I just love the way our team is, every single day we come in, we come in with a goal, we got, we got a goal in mind, you know, every single day, we just come in and try to work our hardest, and, you know, struggle one another every single day.”
The Bears’ first test comes in Week 1 against Auburn, the same team that beat Baylor a season ago. Lagway said he’s eager to get the ball in the air and work in the offense, and he pointed to the production Baylor has already seen from Sawyer Robertson as a reason for that excitement.
“Yeah, I'm excited to put the ball in the air, you know, and let it fly, you know, and throw it around. You know, I've seen what he did with Sawyer (Robertson), and him being top five in the country throwing the ball, so I'm excited, you know, just to go out there and just play free, have fun, and, you know, just learn from him,” Lagway said.
In Other News...
Dave Aranda Heads To Media Days With Baylor Pressure Mounting
As Baylor gets ready for Big 12 media days, Dave Aranda is headed into a stretch where the questions feel bigger than the usual preseason chatter. The Bears have plenty to sort through on offense, from helping quarterback DJ Lagway take the next step after an uneven first season to blending in a new group of skill players around him, while the offensive line also has to settle into a new look with only one returning starter back in place.
The other issue hovering over the program is on defense, where the status of lineman Hosea Wheeler remains uncertain. Baylor is waiting on clarity there while Aranda tries to project confidence about the roster as a whole, knowing the answers he gives in the coming days will shape how this team is viewed before camp even begins. [Read more 🡒]